Our American Letter.

Otago Witness, Issue 1579, 18 February 1882, Page 9

Our American Letter .

San Fbanoisoo, January 16th. The Guiteau trial is drawing to a close. It has. been remarkable in very many respects, but in none' more than in bringing out in strong relief the leading traits of American character. At ihe outset, rayening cries for blood went up, and the < chances appeared to be about even thattheiregulariprocess of law would be • rendered inoperative by reason of an act of assassination. This phase of the : proceedings continued up to a late period of the trial, but I am Batisfiedj.it does- not now exist in any, appreciable degree, i .The latest exhibition of it was an -anonymous letter addressed to. Guiteau, telling him' that four men,of-whom the writer was none, had solemnly sworn to be . in thej«conrthouse on a given -. day, and at f a f;signal, fire at and kill , him. The language of the. note, was [as i vile as the sentiment! was atrocious ; and the prisoner; on reading it,< cbolly< remarked that it- doubtless came from a .tyorankV'who should be in the lunatic asylum. -Of -course nothings came of .this threat, but it certainly did not bear the crank ear-mark. On the contrary, it was a fair expression of the sentiments of a very numerous Body of men who consider themselves responsible citizens, but whoareaptto indulge in vulgar braggadocio in dealing with ordinary-matters of business or politics. The United States has many of such characters on' its great register, and it need only be added that these are xnett who'give an 1 exaggerated* tone of violence to Jthe' discussion of nearly every public ques* tion. ' They are' always noisy, demonstrative, and 'bbtrußive,* and strangers usually form their estimate of Americans from" them. This is a mistake ; but it is a natural one nevertheless. That Guiteau would have been torn to pieces by a well-dressed mob when the trial began, if he could have been got at, is > beyond I question; but I think he was justified in saying, as he did, when Judge Cox ordered his removal to the dock from beside his counsel, owing to his persistent interruption of the proceedings, that he could ,walk unmolested through all the large cities of the country if he | were discharged from custody. I Whilst the strong feeling of detestation and thirst for vengeance abated as the trial proceeded,^ feeling of admiration for the assassin began gradually to take hold upon the popular mind; and when Guiteati the other day declared that tens of thousands 1 of people believed him the greatest man in the country, he i only spoke the truth in my judgment. He is ! overwhelmed with congratulatory and sym- j pathetic letters— several hundreds in a daywomen vicing with each other in paying court to this man, whose life has been vile and unprincipled throughout. What matter? He is notof ious ; and that suffices for American women of wealth and culture as much as for women of a lower grade. -Men also minister to his vanity and conceit. Last Saturday he announced' in court that he had received cheques representing a large sum of money, and his business sense may be guessed ' from his remarks. He said :•" l- received 30 cheques yesterday, representing ,about 15,000 dollars. Some of them' are worthless, and many of them are no doubt good. I don't want' anyone to send me worthless cheques. I do my own banking business, and any cheques should be made out to my order. Anyone who desires to send me money can do so, but I don't want any worthless cheques." He had made an appeal to the American people for money, andT no doubt he has received a very considerable sum. In court he has been kept busy writing his autograph, and his portrait' is in- increasing demand. A wretch so vile that men and dainty women spat when they named him, is now a hero in their eyes, and the crime for which he i 8 on trial is almost entirely lost ■ sight of. The revulsion in public sentiment is so complete as to be remarkable, if not, indeed, phenomenal. But I think that those who nave followed my American letters will have little difficulty in understanding this apparent anomaly. Love of notoriety, and admiration for that which is notorious, are the governing sentiments in American social life. Added to this is a love of the horrible, in which, to be trictly just, I must say the womankind excel.- A man has only to commit some abnormal atrocity to surround himself with a crowd of lady servitors, who keep his cell fragrant with the perfume of flowers, and who 1 render his physical existence in prison infinitely preferabls to his condition in a state of freedom. In this way, crime has come to be ennobled, so to speak. It is countenanced by matrons and maids, who would let an honest man or woman starve or go to Tophet without lifting a finger to assist them, unless they should distinguish themselves among the outlaws of society. Guiteau has it all his own way just now: ' 'I have no doubt, were he acquitted, that by would draw as well as Ihgersoll or Beecher

in the leature-field ; and if he be convicted, which I. exceedingly doubt, his pathway to the gallows will be strewn with flowers. It is not that the people are fickle so much as that they have lost their moral grip somehow. Religion lacks vitality ; virtue wears rags and goes barefoot ; honesty does all the drudgery ; and— well, the millennium has not come, although sometimes I almost fancy that it is about time, seeing that conventional Christianity and the creeds are played-out, and that we want a religion of the future which will be a restraining power, and not an organised hypocrisy to make merchandise of men's souls, put gyves upon their intellect and understanding, and enslave and I degrade their bodies. There are men and i women patiently waiting the new Avatar ; but until that time arrives Guiteau, and such aa he, together with the moral phenomena he has educed, will fill the public eye with spectacular sensations, and raise the question whether civilisation, after the lapse of nineteen centuries of grace, is one whit better than it was before the Christian era began. lam inolined to think if we had all the facts before us for comparison that our boasted civilisation would not carry off the honours. Be this as it may, however, Guitoau will be the central figure in ■ American affairs for at least the present week. [ A conclusion cannot be reached before Friday, I unless something unlooked-for happens. I enj close for publication in the Daily Times Guiteau's Christmas address to the American people, and his address to the jury, which Judge Cox 1 will not allow him to deliver. These are a fair presentation of himself and his case.

THE TARIFF IN OONGKESS.

Congress resumed business after the holidays, and a great deal of business is before it. Tariff revision is pressing for a solution, but the interests of capital, manufacturers, and importers are so conflicting that I fail to see how they can be reconciled. Of course, the interests of consumers are not thought of : and. I regret to say that to a very large extent the economic heresy of Protection finds favour with the majority of American mechanics and labourers, on the assumption thatit keeps wages high. Really, however, this is a mistake. The wages of Lowell or Fall River factory hands are about 10 per cent, higher than the wages of a similar class class of labour in Manchester or Blackburn, but this 'apparent advantage disappears when it is further stated that the purchasing power of the English mill operative's pay is 30 per cent, in excess of that of the Americans. These facts have been demonstrated in Boston, New • York, and other eastern cities, and they were broadly stated in Congress. In course of time American operatives and farmers will perceive the fraud that is put upon them in the interest of '-'protected" capital. At- present, however,' they are only beginning to see the light. For example, although America imported about 40 per cent. of its wool last year, the wdolgrowe'rs cannot be convinced that they are not Benefited by the import duty, forgetting that the world's demand regulates the price, and that as London is the centre of the wool trade of the world, London regulates the price of wool in Boston and New York precisely as Liverpool'regulates the price of wheat ' in San Francisco, Chicago, and St." Louis, The only result of the tariff on wool is to increase s the cost of woollen goods to, consumers, and farmers therefore are compelled to sell at London rates, and. to i pay" more for blankets, clothing, &c. than' they wbuld do were 'the' wool duty remitted. ' In other words,' they 1 are.,'. forcedj by law, to sell th'eirwool products in the cheapest and buy their woollen goods in" the dearest market. . The beneficiaries are the public officials, middlemen, and manufacturers^ "Protection" is a swindle upon labour in tn.e, interest of petty monopolies which can secure bank credits and take advantage of partial, legislation in their own favour, The fight on the tariff is a keen one, but it is only beginning. It will grow from now until the Presidential campaign, and may result in a reconstruction of parties. Georgia, and other Southern States, which havesteppedintothe lineof manufacturing communities, are talking Protection, although ' they raise the raw material and have abundance of cheap labour ; but the West, when it is once aroused, will very speedily put an end to this business. The truth is that the tariff is out of all proportion to the revenue needs of the country. •Tha Protectionists understand this thoroughly, and seek to have the internal revenue tax on spirits, tobacco, &c. remitted. This would wipe cut nearly half the gross receipts, and make a high tariff a revenue necessity. The President and leading Republicans take this view ; but it is so manifestly unjust to' the people that it cannot be embodied in legislation. I regret that the Republican party should be committed to Protection. In all other respects it is the progressive party of the country.

RBVIBW OB 1 THE PAST YEABi

The past year has been a period of unexampled prosperity. Although thedroughthad diminished the yield of breadstuffs in the Eastern and North- Western States, the high price compensated for the shorter yield. The cotton belt suffered most seriously, however, and this season's crop is very short. The internal trade of the country increased enormously. About 8000 miles of railroad were built, making over 100,000 miles open and operated at the close of 1881. Railroad building is going on apace, and including Mexico, next year will show as large an addition to the mileage' of the American railroad system as the past year did. This is building up townß and cities aa local points of distribution, increasing production, and developing mines, agriculture, and manufactures. s The country is fast extinguishing its public debt, another call for 20 millions of extended 6 per cents, being made by the Secretary of the Treasury. These calls are now made monthly. In addition, the Secretary is empowered to invest a certain proportion of the surplus revenue monthly in the purchase of bonds on sinking fund account, and the financial operation of this law is to be taken into account when considering the process of paying off the national debt now in operation. Last year over 20 millions sterling were wiped out; this year a much larger sum will disappear, the revenue having the advantage of rapidly-decreasing interest payments, and the saving between 3£ and 5 and 6 per cent, on the extended bonds. Whatbetween calls on these bonds and purchases of 4^ per cents, on sinking fund account, the United States Treasury willsoon havethepublic debt with a very small balance left, unless, indeed, we get some outside diversion which ma.y call for a national skirmishing fund. This is hardly likely, however, during the lifetime of men who remember the Civil War. That was a surfeit of gore and glory, and no mistake.

CALIFORNIA AS A MODEL STATE.

The public accounts of California have been published. For the financial year ended June 30th, 1881, the receipts from all sources were 6,365,608d01, which included a balance from 1880 of 1,078,305d01. The poll tax, sacred to school purposes, yielded 316,869d01, property tax 3,636,008d01, the balance being made up from miscellaneous sources. The two main sources of revenue are a property and poll tax. The expenditure was 5,365,119d01, leaving a balance of 980,489d0l in the Treasury. Last year there were two sessions of the Legislature, a regular and a special one, and the cost of both, for Senate and Assembly, v-

was 156,043d01, or about £33,000. Our Legislature is not numerically as strong as the New Zealand Parliament, neither do we pay members as liberally. Senators and Assemblymen receive eight dollars per diem and actual travelling charges. The pay each session is limited to 60 days ; if the Legislature sits longer, as it usually does, the members are not paid. How does this parsimony of the golden State contrast with the liberality of New Zealand ? I think the advantage is on the side of California. Take the departments separately, and contrast them. I shall give the California expenditure in dollars, and the Daily Times may fill in the New Zealand items in pounds sterling if it oleases. Thus : —

It will be perceived from the foregoing that the State departmental expenditure is very light, 'while education and social institutions are liberally supported. Take the Governor and the Chief Executive Officers. Their term of office is foun years. Section 19, article V, of the Constitution prescribes their duties and salaries. The Governor, who is Commander-in-chief, and is invested with all the functions appertaining to his high office in a sovereign .State, receives 6000dol a year ; the Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorneygeneral, and Surveyor-general, 3000dol respectively ; " such compensation to be in full for all services by them respectively rendered in any official capacity or employment whatsoever during their respective terms of office." One would think this was drawing the line rather tight, but the Constitution is even worse in its contemplated treatment of officeholders in the future. Section 19, article V, continues : — "Providedj however, that the Legislature, after the expiration of the term hereinbefore mentioned, may by law diminish the compensation' of any or all such officers ; but in no case shall have the, power to increase the same above the sums hereby fixed by this Constitution. No salary shall oe authorised by law for clerical service 1 in any office provided for in this article exceeding 1600dol per annum for each clerk employed. ' The Legislature may, in its discretion, abolish the office of Surveyorgeneral ; and none of' the officers hereinbefore named shall receive for ttheir < own use any fees or perquisites for the pWformance of any official duty." i These provisions of the organic law of California speak for themselves. They show a 'jealous regard for the public purse. What would the Governor of New Zealand or Victoria think of being compelled to provide their own residence, and sustain the dignity of their position, on a paltry £1200 a year? Yet American citizens of fortune and standing eagerly contest for the gubernatorial honours at each recurring election. And don't let anyone run away with the notion that there is less state or hospitality by the Governor of California, for example, than by any Colonial Governor, with his large income, residence, and household free. To do so would be to fall into a serious error. The occasions which call for hospitality and official and military display in California are far more numerous and exacting than in the Colonies, where tables of precedence economise gubernatorial expenditure to a very appreciable extent. The judicial expenditure does not all appear in the foregoing schedule. The Chief Justice and six associate justices are paid by the State, and half the salaries of the Superior Court Judges, of whom there are 12 for San Francisco, two for several of the larger counties, and one for each of the remaining counties, save two, which constitute one district. The counties pay a moiety of the salaries of their superior judges, those of the first class receiving 4000dol, and those of the second class 3000dol per annum, ior £800 and £600 respectively. 1 think the judges' pay is too low, and only young lawyers stood for election for superior judges in this city. The late Chief Justice of the State, W. Wallace, now practises in the Superior and Supreme Courts, although he was Chief Justice for 13 years. Such is our judicial system. The counties, by local taxes, raise money for all other branches of local government, maintaining police, gaols, couits, sheriffs and deputies, assessors, treasurers, tax collectors, schools, hospitals, &c. ; also providing for the erection and repair of public buildings, opening and maintaining roads, building bridges, and the like. Our system of local self-government is as perfect as it well can be, and I am satisfied if it were adopted by the Colonies it would save them very large sums annually. It is impossible that any central authority can effectually control local expenditures ; and it is equally true that wasteful local expenditure is inevitable when all the money disbursed does not come out of local taxes. Direct taxation is the very best economiser of public expenditure ever invented. In conclusion, let me add that the State appropriation for public schools is a mere bagatelle compared with the amoun* raised by local taxation. San Francisco alone raises three-quarters of a million dollars yearly for common schools, plus the State contribution. The interest on California State bonds last fiscal year was 314,745d01, or £62,949— not a heavy permanent charge to stagger under.

EXPORTS OF CALIFORNIA.

The total exports of California by sea last year amounted to 53,036,190d01, of which 34,418,799d0l represented wheat and flour. 490 square-rigged ships and steamships sailed out of the Golden Gate withbroadstuffs, and 13 from Wilmington and San Diego, during 1881; while at the close of the yearthere remained for export about 800,000 tons of wheat. These figures almost ntagger one from their vastness, when it is considered that 30 years ago no one believed this country would grow grain. That was three years after the discovery of gold, when as yet Yerba-Buena, asjS.an Frap,cJßgo was

then called, consisted of a cluster of adobe huts around Mission Dolores, and tents and a few shanties on the beach below Telegraph Hill and along the shore-line of what is now , Montgomery street, a good half-mile from tide- j water. The value of the food product of the State may be estimated by the foregoing statement. But the exports by rail to the East and South were equally remarkable, and demonstrate the development of our domestic trade. Our domestic exports last year exceeded those of 1880 by over 80 million pounds. I shall quote a few leading products to illustrate my meaning. . Thus : — CALIFORNIA RAILROAD SHIPMENTS, 1881. Pounds. Piun'lfl. Barley .. 44,7ti9,458 Boann .. 12.300 0 0 Canned fruit 3,871,-40 Dried fruit .. 2,076,150 Canned goods 16,816,382 Salmon .. 22,78,480 Wool .. 26 896 455 Wine .. lz,BH2,lft i Hides .. 2,601,370 Leather .. 2,8 4,490 Mustard seed 1,404,990 Quicksilver.. 908,180 I California grows more barley than any other I State of the Union. I make no mention of gold in this connection, the yield of which was about 20,000,000d01. We lost about 15,000,000d0l in the Nevada and other wild-cat mines in working charges only. 10,167,545 pounds of flax-seed, 345,100 pounds of peanuts, and 34,026 tons sugar-beet were raised last year. Hops are, extensively grown. Honey was a short crop, Cotton is successfully cultivated, and a cotton-mill will probably be erected this year in San Francisco. Manufacturing industries of everydescriptiou paid well last season, and promise to pay equally well during 1882. About 20,000 acres will be planted in grape-vines this spring in California, and large orchards are being set out in various parts of the State. There is a probability of a dry season, however, in the Southern counties and San Joaquin Valley, which may shorten the wheat and barley crop ; but one can hardly predicate upon appearances, as last week eight inches of snow fell in the South, and there was excellent sleighing among the orange groves of San Bernardino. Ice from half an inch to an inch thick was formed in one night in serai-tropic California, so one should not say after all that they will have a dry season South. Meanwhile, live stock is suffering very severely, and unless i grass springs soon there will be great mortality among the flocks and herds. The pastoral interests of California are important, 43,000,000 pounds of wool being clipped last season. ODDS AKD ENDS. I think the arrangement for the Union Insurance Company here is a good one. It is placed with one of our local offices, the California Insurance Company. Mr Meaves did better by advertising for an agent than I i thought he would. The National and South British are prudent in depositing a cash ( guarantee in this country. Americans attach undue importance to it, I think ; but after all,, it is only a reasonable requirement. What possible guarantee, other than a coin deposit, i can insurers have, that any New Zealand company would pay heavy losses ? There _is nothing to seize in case of default. This policy i of the National and South British will mdi rectly improve the status of the New Zealand and union, when the fact of their cash deposit is known, although I do not suppose it was intended for that purpose. The Standard withdrawal, and the sudden curtailment of the New Zealand Company's business, had a decidedly bad effect upon the other New Zealand companies doing business here, but this will put them on a better footing than ever. What is to prevent one of your banks opening an agency here ? There is money in it. I wonder the New Zealand or National has not thought of it long ago. Banking in this country is a different affair altogether from what it is in the Colonies, but the profits roll in all the same, and I presume the shareholders would not object to increased dividends by an I extension of business. If the Colonial trade with this country is to be developed, it must be taken in hand by a Colonial bank.

San Francisco is at present visited by Messrs O'Connor and Healey, two of the Irish Land League members of Parliament. They will address public meetings in this city and elsewhere, and stimulate the already strong feeling in favour of Irish national independence in this community. I understand the Governor will preside at one of their meetings. In the East the freight war continues, to the disgust of stockholders in the competing lines. Business is seriously disturbed by this scalping process. California- flour millers are doubling their milling capacity to take hold of the Southern market opened by the route to New Orleans. They can sell a superior flour at lower rates in the Southern States than the Minneapolis or St. Louis millers can afford to d®. Orders for California flour have been received from England to be shipped by this route. Within a month, Port Yabel, at the head of the navigation of the Gulf of California, will be connected with San Francisco by railroad. The city of Mexico will be united within the VBSXt Uharles Bright lectured last night to a large and appreciative audience. He was well received, and his health 1 is improving. Jacob Terry.

New California, 1830-81. Zbaland, 188 i*2. Dollars. £ Judicial Department .. 218,562 75,761 Governors Office .. 14,064 5,000 Secretary of State's Office (Colonial Secretary) .. 14,081 3 300 Controller's Office .. 12,850 8,400 State Treasurer's Office .. 10,023 7,800 ... „ .„ fI ,Q Q (included in Attorney-generals Office . . o,iou ■< Judicial ( total for Surveyoi-general'B (Lan(J) .. 11,652 -j survey* Superintendent of Public Instruction (Education) .. 9,100 — State Library .. .. 19,538 — State Printing office .. 114,73* 20,536 State Board of Health .. 3,5b0 — ( no corresState Board of Equalisation 15,568 \ ponding (. office Insurance Commissioner .. 7,l r 6 n Bank Commissioners • • 13,514 „ Railroad Commissioners .. 22,916 „ State Capital Buildings and Ground! .. „ 42,668 — Agricultural Societies .. 17,000 — Orphans and Abandoned Children .. .. 135,802 16,000 Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Insti. tutioa .. .. 99,000 — Insane Asylums.. .. 390.V04 25,289 State Prisons .. „ 569,610 37,000 State Normal Schools .. 133,211 ) 277,416 State University.. .. 138,244 !■ besides Support of Common Schools 1,797,312 ) reserves Stationery, fuel, lights, &c. for Legislature and State included with offices .. .. 19,588 printing State Engineer's Department 83,546 — Drainage .. .. 868,900 — Military purposes .. 74,744 —